Wagner & Walken : Did one or both murder Natalie Wood ? Or an accident ?

As this involves Christopher Walken,back in 1981,i thought this might be an interesting discussion,especially as the police are going to interview Wagner once more ,as a new 'person of interest' .

See this new article here :

Robert Wagner is a 'person of interest' in Natalie Wood's 1981 death, investigators say .

Actor Robert Wagner, the then-husband to Hollywood star Natalie Wood, has been named a “person of interest” in the suspicious drowning death of his wife that occurred nearly four decades ago, investigators said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s told "48 Hours” that investigators would like to speak to Wagner about Wood’s mysterious death on Nov. 29, 1981. The “48 Hours” interview with L.A. investigators is slated to air Saturday in a special titled “Natalie Wood: Death in Dark Water.”

"As we've investigated the case over the last six years, I think he's (Wagner) more of a person of interest now," John Corina, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, told “48 Hours.” "I mean, we know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared."

A rep for Wagner declined to comment Thursday.

Wood, known for her high-profile roles in “West Side Story,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Rebel Without a Cause,” was found dead in the water in 1981 at age 43. The Academy Award-winning actress was traveling on her family’s yacht, Splendour, with Wagner, the ship’s captain Dennis Davern and her friend, actor Christopher Walken, off the coast of Catalina Island at the time of her death.

Investigators closed the case two weeks following her death, ruling it an accident. However, the sheriff’s office re-opened the case in 2011 and changed Wood's cause of death on her certificate from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”

Investigators, who have been working on the case for six years, told “48 Hours” they are ready to speak with Wagner, who has refused to talk to officials about Wood's death since the case was re-opened.

At the time of her death, Wagner, Walken and Davern told investigators Wood “took off in a dinghy and went ashore.” However, Wood said in previous statements that she was terrified of the water.

Following their original statements, Wagner and Davern have changed the chain of events that occurred that night.

Rumors and conspiracy theories related to Wood's death have circulated for years and “foul play” has been suspected.

"I haven't seen him (Wagner) tell the details that match all the other witnesses in this case," Corina said. "I think he's constantly changed his story a little bit. And his version of events just don't add up."

Walken spoke with investigators recently regarding her death.

The autopsy report specified Woods had fresh bruises on her body.

She looked like a victim of an assault," Ralph Hernandez, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, told “48 Hours.”

When asked if he believed Wood was murdered, Corina said he believed it was suspicious.

When asked if he believed Wagner knew more than what he let on about his late wife’s death, Corina said yes.

"Well, I think he does because he's the last one to see her," Corina said.

Hernandez reiterated that Wood's death was not proven to be a suicide or an accident, and investigators are trying to decipher how she “ended up in the water.”

Wood and Wagner married in December 1957. The two began dating when she was 18 and he was 26. They divorced in April 1962 and re-married in 1972.

Wagner, 87, wrote a memoir in 2008 titled “Pieces of My Heart” and recalled a time when he argued with Walken over his wife’s career, People reported. He claimed in the book he did not know what happened to Wood on the night of her death.

“Nobody knows. There are only two possibilities: either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy. But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened,” Wagner wrote.

He expressed regret for Wood's death, writing he would have done something.

“Did I blame myself?” he wrote. “If I had been there, I could have done something. But I wasn’t there. I didn’t see her. The door was closed; I thought she was belowdecks. I didn’t hear anything. But ultimately, a man is responsible for his loved one, and she was my loved one.”

This is how the night occurred,for you to peruse over :

Actress Natalie Wood joined her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken in late November 1981 on her family's yacht, Splendour, off Santa Catalina Island in California.

Little did she know it would be her last night alive.

The actress, who won three Golden Globes, was reportedly discovered missing around midnight on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend by either the captain of the boat, Dennis Davern, or Wagner. Also missing was the boat's dinghy.

It wasn't until the next morning, Nov. 29, that the 43-year-old's bruised body was found floating a mile away from both the boat and the dinghy.
She had been wearing a flannel nightgown, knee-high socks and a red down jacket.

An initial investigation by police concluded that her death was an accident and that Wood took the dinghy to shore, slipped and fell into the water. The L.A. coroner at the time said Wood launched the dinghy and fell overboard and died of hypothermia.

In the hours before Wood went missing, the four passengers dined at the restaurant Doug's Harbour Reef, where staff later said they remember them drinking heavily and that Wood's behavior was volatile.

Waitresses have said Wood was flirting with Walken after they had several bottles of champagne.

The restaurant's manager, Don Whiting, warned the harbourmaster to keep an eye out for their safety as they headed back to the Splendour, Vanity Fair reported. He also told police that "he was of the impression that Robert Wagner was a little bit irritated with his wife" after a glass was broken or thrown.

Theories of foul play have been swirling ever since Wood's death.

Wagner and Wood were one of Hollywood's iconic on-again, off-again couples, married from 1957 to 1962 before divorcing. They remarried in 1972 and remained together until her death.
The actress had famously publicly reiterated her fear of dark water and had said she didn't know how to swim.

Davern maintains that the fall wasn't an accident — but rather the result of jealousy, fighting and drama that played out over the weekend, fueled by alcohol. He recalled to Vanity Fair that Wood was "definitely flirting" with Walken.

Wood was allegedly jealous of Wagner's relationship on-set with William Holden's girlfriend, Stefanie Powers, and Wood reportedly had an infatuation with Walken that Wagner couldn't bear to witness.

Wagner maintains Wood's death was an accident and when the case was reopened in 2011, he refused to cooperate with investigators.

In his 2008 memoir, "Pieces of My Heart," he wrote, "nobody knows" what caused her to fall of the boat — but that her disappearance followed an argument.

"There are only two possibilities: either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy," Wagner wrote. "But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened."

He said the last time he saw her she was fixing her hair at the vanity in the bathroom.

"I went below, and Natalie wasn¹t there," he continued in "Pieces of My Heart." "Strange. I went back up on the deck and looked around for her and noticed the dinghy was gone. Stranger. I remember wondering if she¹d taken the dinghy because of the argument, and then I thought, No way, because she was terrified of dark water, and besides that, the dinghy fired up so loudly, and we would have heard it, whether we were in the salon or on deck."

In a 2002 Larry King interview he said he was in "total shock."

"I don't think you ever overcome it," Wagner told Larry King in 2014. "And why should you?"
Walken — who was starring with Wood in "Brainstorm" when she died — discussed the night of Wood's death publicly for the first time two years later.

"The people who are convinced that there was something more to it than what came out in the investigation will never be satisfied with the truth. Because the truth is, there is nothing more to it," Walken said. "It was an accident."

In his memoir, Wagner admitted to getting into a fight with Walken on the yacht and smashing a bottle on the table after a night of drinking.

Davern changed his story from his initial report, which is what led investigators to reopen the case in 2011. He recalled an argument and fighting between the couple.

Wood was accompanied by Davern to shore the night before she went missing because Wood reportedly couldn't handle the tension on the boat, according to the captain. Wood and Wagner stayed at the Pavilion Lodge in two separate rooms, where a receptionist said they both appeared to be intoxicated.

The next morning Walken woke up to Wood asking if he was going to stay as she was going to take the sea plane black. She ended up remaining on the boat and making breakfast.

Disturbing situation certainly. It appears as though the police didn't do a good enough job of interviewing the individuals on the night of the incident, thereby creating these doubts.

Apart from the captain they all seem to have been inebriated that night, and therefore memories would have been cloudy. I don't think we'll ever get to the bottom of it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in reality manslaughter (although hopefully not intoxicated manslaughter).

Occam's Razor here... Wagner & Wood, both totally drunk had a fight, she stormed off and tried to go ashore and drunkenly fell out of the dingy- Wagner was too drunk and angry to worry/care about her. That's MY take, anyway.

I agree with @chrisisall. Nothing further to say, really. They did love each other, did fight, but that night ... we will truly probably never know the actual details. I am inclined to picture it the way you said, Chris. I really doubt any new genuine info will come out. A tragedy for all of their families, now in the news again.

I will share this story from a website called Crazy days and nights and you can choose to believe it or not... you will notice that it is a "blind item" as in the people in the story are not named directly, but it is fairly clear from the item and comments this is about the Natalie Wood situation...

This will hardly be a blind to those who've been here for years. But when you've known the truth all this time, and are no longer bound by the promises you made due to their impending exposure and someone's approval? You can start to tell others. It's not the crime that gets you. It's the cover up.

The night this actress (long time A lister) and her hubby (probably permanent A- lister just because of his television and movie history and name) got together with this other actor (permanent A- list mostly movie actor) was the epitome of tragic. Too much booze, too much drugs, too much bottled-up hostility. She was drunk and angry. She mocked him and threatened to cuckold him, including about something she caught him doing years before which caused their split. That alone would've destroyed his career and life.

The fight was epic. The guest really did leave for bed, though he heard it all happen. As did the worker on board. The hubby was so drunk and angry, he really didn't remember it all. But according to his memories, and those of the long-silent guest, this is what happened:

Just the two of them, yelling and shoving. She retreated indoors, he went after her. When she got back outside, she demanded to be taken home - already had her coat on. She said she would call her lawyer and he can stay behind. Since the house and money were hers, she'd get the kids too. She had it with him, his cheating, and his drinking and pouting. He wasn't going to let her go at all. He actually reached to grab her when she pulled away, slipped and fell.

He could've saved her right there.

That would've been easy and could've just been a spat. But he mocked her. She screamed, yelled, begged for help. He taunted her. The guest came to see what was happening and tried to help. The hubby told him she was just playing hysterics for attention - she could save herself he said. He escorted the guest back inside forcibly. She continued out there, cold, screaming - for several minutes. The worker had been yelling to her he'd help her. He banged on the hubby's door. He was told to go to bed and mind his damn business.

The three men argued. Then they realized - she wasn't screaming anymore. Hubby panicked, and they all went out to try and find her. She'd given up and was already gone. They said it happened so fast. Maybe in drunk time, but in reality? It was over 20 minutes. These three drunk men, very drunk and high. Nothing they did worked. The guest demanded to call for help or be taken home. The hubby threatened him, said he was part of it too. The hubby sat outside for hours, drinking heavily, crying. The scared, weak and stoned worker finally took him inside when he passed out.

When they awoke, they knew how deep of shit they were in. They tried to get their story straight. If one went down - they all would. The first call they placed was to wake up a legendary Hollywood attorney/fixer. He in turn called (permanent A+ list singer) who really was a friend to the actress. The hubby confessed all to him. It was the booze, the anger - he never thought she was in that much danger. He pleaded for mercy. That legendary singer/actor was angry, but he understood how it could happen.

The cover-up began instantly. There were tons of leaks in their story. But anytime a discrepancy popped up? The powers that be were reminded they were elected officials and stop digging because it won't bring her back. You have no idea how powerful (the A+ list singer) and his legal and illegal pals were in those days. They even had the White House, not to mention City Hall. No local yokels were gonna make waves. Besides, the hubby was so destroyed.

And he really was. He tried suicide many times. He confessed to her daughters, which nearly destroyed one of them. But they too realized that all this time later would not bring her back. But people knew the truth. They spoke. On the record. Even with varying degrees of murder or manslaughter, it's the cover up that'll get you. So no matter the final outcome of the case, even all this time, he doesn't have long to live naturally.

But that cover up? A lot of them are still around. That one long-silent guest? Not so silent. He too is up in age and cleared his conscience. Thing is - he did it in 1985. Yep. It's been on record since then. Way past time for this to come out. It's tragic for those young ladies now, but...Truth. Will. Out. Always.

That one long-silent guest? Not so silent. He too is up in age and cleared his conscience. Thing is - he did it in 1985. Yep. It's been on record since then. Way past time for this to come out. It's tragic for those young ladies now, but...Truth. Will. Out. Always.

I agree with @chrisisall. Nothing further to say, really. They did love each other, did fight, but that night ... we will truly probably never know the actual details. I am inclined to picture it the way you said, Chris. I really doubt any new genuine info will come out. A tragedy for all of their families, now in the news again.

In thinking on this more, it's also totally possible that she actually made it to shore (where the dingy was found) and drunkenly lost her balance getting out of it and fell backwards into the water taking in one lungfull of water in a gasp and that was all it took. It would also explain why her body was not found further out than it was... sorry, my detective mind was working overtime here. In my teens (before Jane Seymour in Galactica) she was my fantasy girl... Inside Daisy Clover on TV had me in tears as a 14 year old...

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken).

barryt007Throwing Kara 'brain dead' Milovy off the top of a Ferris Wheel in Vienna

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken).

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken).

Aaah you watched that programme...how was it ?

It definitely held my interest. I had forgotten a lot of the details and it did a good job of letting a viewer get up to speed.

Lana Wood has been vocal for years about the need for "the truth to come out." I don't recall her ever explicitly accusing Wagner of murder. But it's clear she's suspicious. As she told the story (in a new interview for CBS), she was disbelieving that her sister decided to remarry Wagner.

barryt007Throwing Kara 'brain dead' Milovy off the top of a Ferris Wheel in Vienna

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken).

Aaah you watched that programme...how was it ?

It definitely held my interest. I had forgotten a lot of the details and it did a good job of letting a viewer get up to speed.

Lana Wood has been vocal for years about the need for "the truth to come out." I don't recall her ever explicitly accusing Wagner of murder. But it's clear she's suspicious. As she told the story (in a new interview for CBS), she was disbelieving that her sister decided to remarry Wagner.

Interesting,thanks for that.

They were all seriously drunk over many nights,including the night involved...a drunk 'murderer' would instantly think of a drowning scenario when on a yacht .
Just my thinking of course ;)

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken).

Aaah you watched that programme...how was it ?

It definitely held my interest. I had forgotten a lot of the details and it did a good job of letting a viewer get up to speed.

Lana Wood has been vocal for years about the need for "the truth to come out." I don't recall her ever explicitly accusing Wagner of murder. But it's clear she's suspicious. As she told the story (in a new interview for CBS), she was disbelieving that her sister decided to remarry Wagner.

Interesting,thanks for that.

They were all seriously drunk over many nights,including the night involved...a drunk 'murderer' would instantly think of a drowning scenario when on a yacht .
Just my thinking of course ;)

From the CBS show:

The yacht's captain said Wagner said to wait, got out a bottle of Scotch and poured drinks. It was a while before the Coast Guard was called.

Anyway, a couple of LA County detectives have been working on this since 2011. It got back into the news when authorities recently said Wagner was a "person of interest." Walken is not, according to the CBS broadcast.

barryt007Throwing Kara 'brain dead' Milovy off the top of a Ferris Wheel in Vienna

So am i...and i think Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is letting on,
Even the captain thinks its a form of manslaughter that happened.[/quote]

Not surprisingly, neither Wagner nor Walken agreed to new interviews with CBS for the 48 Hours installment that aired on Saturday night. There was some older footage of both (but not very much with Walken). [/quote]

Aaah you watched that programme...how was it ?[/quote]

It definitely held my interest. I had forgotten a lot of the details and it did a good job of letting a viewer get up to speed.

Lana Wood has been vocal for years about the need for "the truth to come out." I don't recall her ever explicitly accusing Wagner of murder. But it's clear she's suspicious. As she told the story (in a new interview for CBS), she was disbelieving that her sister decided to remarry Wagner.[/quote]

Interesting,thanks for that.

They were all seriously drunk over many nights,including the night involved...a drunk 'murderer' would instantly think of a drowning scenario when on a yacht .
Just my thinking of course ;)[/quote]

From the CBS shows The yacht's captain said Wagner said to wait, got out a bottle of Scotch and poured drinks. It was a while before the Coast Guard was called.

Anyway, a couple of LA County detectives have been working on this since 2011. It got back into the news when authorities recently said Wagner was a "person of interest." Walken is not, according to the CBS broadcast.
[/quote]

The sign of a calculated man waiting for someone to be definately dead.

barryt007Throwing Kara 'brain dead' Milovy off the top of a Ferris Wheel in Vienna

The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.